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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. HOBBY.

AUTOMATIC ANIMAL TRAP.

No. 542,610. Patented July 9, 1895.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. B. HOBBY.

AUTOMATIC ANIMAL TRAP.

No. 542,610. Patented July 9, 1895.

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A QM/L ZZWAT 7W5 UNITED ST TES PATENT Orrrcn.

JOHN BURTIS HOBBY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC AN l MAL-TRAP.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 542,610, dated Ju1y 9, 18 9 5.

Application filed January 31, 1894- Serial No. 498,548. (No model.)

Traps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in automatic animabtraps, particularly that class which are designed to catch mice, rats, and other small animals; and it consists in a closed compartment, having at either end a door for the ingress or egress of the animal, the compartment being divided into two spaces communicating by means of a door which allows of the passage of the animal in one direction but prevents its return in the opposite direction, the door of one end ments and combination of parts hereinafter described, and claimed.

The invention is illustrated in the accomrectly above the catch end k of lever h. On

either side of the gate 10, which at rest occupanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is aside elevation of the trap; Fig.

2, atop plan view thereof; Fig. 3, afront, and Fig. 4 a rear, elevation thereof. enlarged longitudinal central section on line 00 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a cross-section, enlarged, taken on line 3 of Fig. 5; andFig. 7 is an enlarged side and end elevation of the bait-hook of the trap.

In said drawings, a represents the floor of the trap, which may be of wood, iron, or other suitable solid substance, and b the network of metal surmounting the same. At either end of the network I) are placed walls 0 and c which by preference are hinged to the network at c to allow them to swing outward as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5. The

Fig. 5 is an walls 0 and o are held firmly when closed by the hooks 03 passing through the loop 0 of the walls 0 and c, as fully indicated on the drawings.

The wall 0 is provided with an aperture 01 adapted to be closed by the vertically sliding door e which slides in the grooves fof the wall. This door e is suspended from one end of a lever 71. which is pivoted or fulcrumed, as at i, to the projectionj on the roof of the trap. The other end. of this lever h is provided with a catch 7c, adapted when that end is depressed to engage the notch Z of the bait-hook m which is suspended below the roof of the trap and working on the pivot m. The upper end of the bait-hook forward of the notch l is curved or beveled, as indicated by the letter Z, so that when the said catch is brought to bear against said beveled or curved portion the position of the bait-hook will be automatically changed to permit the catch to engage with the notch Z and thus automatically set the trap.

Immediately beyond the bait-hook m is placed a partition 41, which divides the trap into two compartments m and m This partition nhas an aperture 0 protected by agate p, which is hinged, as at q, and is adapted to be swung up and down,as indicated in full and dotted lines, Fig. 5. The gate 10 is connected near its end with the rod r, which in turn is suspended from one end of a lever s, which is pivoted, as at t, to a projection i on the roof of the trap. The other end of the lever .9 is provided with acatch a, extending dipies a slanting position, is placed the side Walls q to prevent the animal from returning to the first compartment m after having entered compartment m The operation is as follows: To bait the trap the hook c is released from the loop on the wall 0, which will allow the wall to be swung outward to enable the person to put the bait on the bait-hook m, when the wall 0 is swung back again to its normal state and fastened, and when this is accomplished the catch-end 7c of lever 71. is depressed until the catch enters the slot Z of the bait-hook m. In this position the sliding door 6 is raised and the aperture (1 opens forthe ingress of the animal. When the animal nibbles the bait on the hook at the hook is pulledoutward, as indicated by dotted lines m Fig. 5. The catch it; is then released from the slot Z and the door 0 slides downward in the groovesf, closing the aperture (Z of the trap. The animal is now confined in the first compartment m of the trap with but one means of egress, and that through the aperture 0 of the partition nguarded by gate 19. When the animal passes through this aperture 0 it raises the gate 19, thus elevating the rod 7", which in turn operates the levers, depressing the catch end u, together with the catch of the lever h, which, as indicated in Fig. 5, has been elevated until it rests immediately under and in contact with catch to when the sliding door 6 is closed, until the catch end 7t enters the slot Z of the bait-hook m, when the trap is again set. This operation may be repeated until the trap is tilled, the trap needing no attention in the matter of setting after it has once been set. To remove the animals that are caught, the door 0, or, if necessary, both doors 0 and 0, may be opened.

The swinging gatep is preferably provided at its lower end with pins or spikes p, which serve to prevent the animal from withdrawing its body after it has once gone a portion of the way through the opening 0 to enter the compartment m The spikes p, when the animal tries to retract itself, will enter its body and pin the animal against the flooring a of the trap.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an animal trap, the combination of the main compartment, having the ends adapted to be opened or shut, one end having an aperture adapted to be controlled by a vertically-sliding door, a lever adapted to raise and lower said door, a bait hook adapted to engage one arm of said lever and to lock the same when the sliding door is raised, an apertured partition dividing the compartment, a swinging gateguarding said aperture in said partition, a rod and lever operated by said swinging gate, said lever extending over and adapted to depress one end of the lever controlling the sliding door to reset the trap when the swinging gate is operated,substantially as set forth.

2. In an animal trap, the bait hook consisting of a portion at, carrying a suitable hook, havinga notch Z, and beveled or curved at the forward portion of its upper end, combined with the lever h, having a sliding door secured at one end to close the main chamber bait hook to set the same, and then engage and hold it and the lever, the lever s, a connecting rod, and agate located between the two compartments, whereby the catch lever is actuated to automatically set the trap, sub stantially as specified.

3. In an animal trap, the main compartment, the swinging end piece 0, at one end thereof, and provided with the aperture d, the pivoted end piece 0 at the opposite end of the chamher, and the bait hook suspended from the roof of the chamber and provided with both an inclined surface and a slot or notch Z, at its upper end; combined with a vertically sliding door 0, the lever h, projection j, and catch 70, the lever being connected with the door 9, at one end and the catch at the other, and the catch being adapted to engage with the slot or notch, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination in an animal trap, of a compartment divided into two spaces by the apertured partition 11 and having the ends 0 and 0 adapted to be opened when required one of said ends 0 being apertured at d, a bait hook 1% provided with the slot Z and suspended from the roof of the compartment between the partition n and the apertured end 0, a vertically sliding door 6 guarding said aperture d of said end 0, a lever 72 fulcruined at 2' to a projection j on the roof of the compartment, said door 6 being suspended from one end of said lever h, the other end of said lever h beingprovided with a catch it adapted when depressed to engage the slot Z of the hook at and to be locked therein, a swinging gate 19 provided with prongs 19' and adapted to guard the opening 0 in said partition 11, a rod 1* secured to said gate, a lever .5, pivoted at t'to a projection t on the roof of the compartment, one end of said rod r being pivoted to one end of said lever s, the other end of said lever 5 being provided with a catch it extending over the catch Zr of lever h and arranged so that when the gate 1) is swung upward the rod 0" will depress the catch to of le-v lot ver 5- down upon said catch 70 of lever h un- JOHN BURTIS HOBBY. Witnesses:

OSCAR A. MICHEL, ALFRED E. SMITH, Jr. 

